Electrical signaling apparatus



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. H. W. SOUTHWORTH.

Electrical 'Signaling Apparatus.

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l H. W. SOUTI-IWO-RTH'. 1 Electrical SignaalimgV Apparatus.

No..241,517. Patented MayIL-Issl.

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HORATIO W. SOUTIIWORTH, OF SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS. Y

ELECTRICAL SIGNALING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 241,517, dated May 17, 1881.

- Application filed September 13, 1880. (No model.)

- To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, H oRA'rIo W. SOUTH- WORTH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Springeld, county of Hampden, and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Electric Signaling Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to devices employed on electric signaling-lines for sending signals over such lines and for causing alarm-bells to be rung only at the called station, or for causing other electric signals to be given at such stations only as the sender intends them for; and the object thereof ,is to provide an apparatus for the above purpose which dispenses entirely with the employment of successive electric impulses and the usual provision of magnets, armature, ratchet-wheels, Ste., in the operation of which much of the strength of the current is expended, and to provide a machine which operates under a current of moderate strength, and which is more simple in construction than such machines usually are, and one which can be manipulated easily by unskilled persons.

I attain the above-named objects by the construction and devices illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure lis a perspective elevation of my machine. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the bed-plate of the machine, with the operative parts thereof shown in Fig. 1 removed. Fig. 3 is a vertical section through line m m, Fig. 2; and Fig. 4 is a rear view of the central 'portion of the bed-plate.

In the drawings, A is the usual supportingback, to which the machine is secured. B is the bed-plate. o is a hollow coil of wire, or a coreless electro-magnet. c is a wei ght, provided with an arm, i, d d is a frame supporting a pulley, a, and the coilc. b is' a weight-tube, held in position by two supports, h It, which are secured to the bed-plate B. o o are two latches pivotcd to bed B. n is a guide-groove cut in bed B, through which passes vertically the projecting rib r. n are levers pivoted to bed B in groove n. s are connection-pins in bed B, back of one end of levers fn. t are pivoted switch-levers, hung on back A near the edge of bed B. g are connection-points on back A, between levers t. m are springs actuating pins s, and q q are line-wires. bar, and f is a cord passing over pulley a, one end of which is secured to weightcand its other end to bar 7c.

The bed-plate B, frame d d, supports It h, and tube b maybe made of metal or other suitable material.

Weight e is made heavier than bar 70 so that when bar 7c is uniniluenced by any magnetic action weight e will drop down in tube b, causing said bar to rise up nearly out of coil c. The arm i on weight reaches into groove n in bed B, as seenin Fig. 1, and is adapted to move down one side of rib r andnp the other side, following the course of said groove. When said arm, in its downward course, reaches latch o it strikesl the end thereof Awhich extends across said groove, bears it down, and passes byit, and as the lower end of said latch is heavier than its horizontal part, itimmediately swings back to the position seen in Fig. l, striking against a stop-pin, 2, and eli'ectually preventing said arm fronl moving upward in that part of groove n through which it has just descended after having passed said latch; but it may move up when properly actuated in the part of groove 'n on the opposite sideof rib r, into which it swings, following the curve at the lower end of said groove. (Shown in Fig. 1.) When arm t' rises in the latter-named portion of said groove it lifts the latch o, which acts in like manner to latch o"ad, guided by the curved edge of the groove at that point, it swings over the upper end of rib r, into the upper end of the groove, to the position seen in Fig. l, and latch o drops down, compelling said arm to there remain. Tube b, in which weight e moves up and down, is slotted vertically, and as said weight so moves the arm follows said slot, which is of sufficient width to allow the arm to swing sufficiently in it to operate at the bottom and top of said groove, as just described.

A series of levers, o, is pivoted in openings made through bed B, as seen in Fig. 3, the horizontal arms of which extend through said openings, and their curved vertical portions stand one' abovethe other in slot a, their lower ends curving outward, and their upper ends bearing against the ends of pins s, which exa is a metallic IOO The wires g and q represent portions ofV aline-wire in which the instrument may be connected, and are connected to the ends ofthe wire forming the coil c. The portion q runs unbroken to said coil 5 but in that part of the end q' between the top of the back A and the lower part of the machine, as seen in Fig. 2, is placed a series of circuit-breakers, t, ar-

v ranged to operate automatically to close the circuit. The wire q', as it descends, is con-- .nected with a metallic stop-block, g, and other similar blocks, g, are interposed between thel ends of said circuit-breakers, as shown, and the lower end of wire q is connected to the lower one of said blocks, and runs from thence to coil c. lWhen all of the circuit-breakers t stand in a vertical position, as in Fig. 2, the line is connected 5 but when one of them is turned to a horizontal position, as shown by dotted lines at the upper one, the circuit is broken. The circuit-breakers t are so balanced on their pivots that when they are turned up to said horil zontal position they will rest there; but when arm t", in moving down in groove n, carries the end of `one slightly downward, it will swing quite over to a` vertical position and against blocks g, and again complete the circuit-connection.

Pins s, actuated, as aforesaid, by levers n,-

are given sucient movement to cause themto connect an alarm-bell circuit of ordinary description, springs m being applied to retract said pins after having been so operated upon.

. In providing a number of machines for a sig- Daling-circuit, I construct them with at least as many of levers 'v and pins s, together with the circuit-breakers t and their connections, as there will be signaling-stations on said circuit, and when said instruments are set up a number is given to each one of the circuit-breakers and to the lever hung opposite to it, and at each station an alarm bell circuit is arranged to be operated by the action of the lever2: and pin s, which bear the number of said station.

The operation of my machine in signaling is as follows: It is understood that when the instruments are set they are operated on a closed .circuit and their movements are isochronous. l

The positions of the bar 7c, weight e, and arm t' shown in Fig. l are those which will be occupied by those parts of the machines on a circuit when all of the machines are at rest, the action of theelectric current on the coils c causing all of the bars 7c to be held down within said coils and overcoming the gravity force of weight e. If, now, station l would signal station 4, the circuit-breaker No. 4 is turned to the position shown by No. l in dotted lines on Fig. 2. This causes the magnetic action between the coils c and bars k to cease, leaving weight e free to descend and carrythe end of arm t' down groove n by thc levers o until it encounters the end of said Vcircuit-breaker 4, which projects over groove n,-when said arm carries the end of said breaker down, causing it to swing into connection and re-establish magnetic action through the line. This causes bar k to be quickly drawn downward again,

carrying arm up against the lower end of lever o, No. 4, and causing the latter to throw out pin s and ring the call-bell, at station 4. After the object of the call has been fulfilled No. 4 circuit-breaker may be slightlyY turned to let'weight e drop quite down to the bottom of groove n, and then by putting .said circuitbreaker into connection again bar k will quickly descend and draw weight e and arm t' back to the position from whence they started, which was that shown in Fig. 1. Thus, as the movements of the weights e in all of the machines are isochronous and the alarm-bell circuit at each station is connected only to a' connectin glever bearing the number of that station, no bell is rung at any uncalled station, but only the bell of the station called.

What I claim as my invention isl. ln an electric signaling apparatus, the combination of the following elements, viz: a hollow coil or coreless electro-magnet, a metallic bar to be moved vertically within said hollow coil by magnetic action and by gravitypower, a weight to co-operate with said bar, signaling .appliances to co-op'erate with said weight, and appliances for breaking and automatically connecting the electric circuit in which the machineis connected, substantially as set forth.

2. In an electric signaling apparatus, the combination, with the hollow coil c, bark, and weight c, provided with arm i, of appliances to cooperate therewith to cause an alarm-bell to be rung, substantially as set t'orth.

3. In combination with the hollow coil c, bar k, and weight e, provided with arm t', the bed B, provided with groove n, lever o, and pin s, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination of the hollow coil c, bar k, weight e, provided with arm t', lever c, pin

s, and of appliances for breaking and automatically connecting the electrical circuit in which the machine is connected, substantially as set forth.

5. In combination, bed B, provided with groove u, latches o o', and arm t' on weight e, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

HORATIO W. SOUTHWOBTH.

Witnesses: y

F. L. SAFFORD, g t' WM. H. OHAPIN.

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